Wichita eagle., 1887-11-20
RAMBLES ABOUT EUROPE.
From England to Egypt and the Holy
Land Els pecially for the Eagle
NO. xxx.

NO. xxx.
JERUSALEM, Oct. 18th, 1887,
To the Editor of the Eagle.
We left Alexandria on the 18th by q
steamer of the Austrian Lloyd line and
arrived at Jaffa-the ancient Joppa-or
Sunday morning. On the steamer we
met Bishop Beckwith, of Georgia. his
daughter, lady from Bloomington, HIS
and another from New York, bound fol
Beirut, from whence they would go &c
Damascus and journey southwark to this
city. AS the entire distance from Beirut
is performed on horseback over rugged
mountainous country exposed to the
scorching rays of the sun, they have
my sympathy-for with the little
experience have gained of travelling in
Palestine, | have no desire to extend nv
journey any further than the Jordan and
Dead sea.
On the passage by water from Alex
andria to Jaffa, nothing worthy of special
note occurred. We passed the delta of
the Nile in daylight, where it empties its
muddy waters and commingles them
with the blue Mediterranean at Rosetta
and Damietta. The second day out we
entered the harbor at Port Said, and re-
manned there discharging and taking on
freight for about twelve hours: as we re-
| ttrn to this port next week en- route to
! Cairo, we thought it not worth our while
| to go ashore.
Jaffa, whilst it is an important COM
mercial city, has no harbor worthy of
/ the name. The ship anchored one-half
mile from shore, and Cooks yawl came
out to meet us as at Alexandria Even
the yawl could not quite reach the land,
but two strong Arabs waded into the
water and carried US in their arms the
few intervening steps. Thence we
wended our way on foot over loose tim
bers, rocks and rubbish, through steep,
narrow and filthy street, occupied on
either side by warehouses. Strings of
camels and men on donkeys claimed the
right Of way, to the utter disgust of the
pilgrims, but it was Of short duration,
for at the end of this thoroughfare
we found Cooks carriage in waiting
which rapidly conveyed us to the inn of
mine host. Herr Rardegg, German,
where we found rest and refreshment
before venturing out in the blazing sun
to visit the house of Simon, the tanner,
where Peter fell into trance, And saw
heaven opened, and certain vessel de-
scended unto him, as it had been a great
sheet, knit at the four corners and let
down to the earth: wherein were all
manner of four-footed beasts of the earth,
and wild beasts and creeping things and
fowls of the air. And there came voice
to him: Rise, Peter kill and eat. The
significance of which was that the law of
Moses was now superseded by that of
Christ. With it vanished the efficacy
of circumcision, the prohibition of GER
tain fleshy diet. and the exclusiveness of
the Jews as Gods peculiar people.
HencefOrth salvation was to be free
without regard to race, color or previous
condition. And it came to pass that he
tarried many days in Joppa with one
Simon, tanner Our guide conducted
us through the market reeking with filth
and bad odor through narrow, crooked
streets, where loaded camel would
have become wedged between the houses,
down several steps that led to a Greek
church, then further on through the
sitting air to a One-stOry stone house.
where large wooden door showing the
marks Of age and decay was thrown open.
and admitted us to the traditional
house, or rather the spot Of ground on
which the house of Simon, the tanner,
stood, for it is not claimed that this is
the identical house where Peter had
the vision, but that the present one.
which is quiet ancient, occupies the pre-
else location and is a duplicate OF the
former one. The custodian was blind
mOslem and one of the rooms. in which
no Christian is permitted to set foot, is
devoted to their use as a house of pray
er. Its location agrees with the site re-
corded by Luke and the old
well where the natives were
filling their goat skins with water
drawn from great depth, leaves
but little doubt that tradition in this in
stance is correct, for what would be moro
natural than that one engaged in tanning
should nave a we'll of his own.
Now wells are a great variety in this
land, 50 rare in fact, that the water is
peddled out for drinking purposes to the
inhabitants. | drank of it, but whilst it
was cool it had a tickliSh taste as though
1t percolated through from the sea. Close
by the well are the stone steps leading to
the house topaz admirable place TO
sleep, if the sun We're not shining. stand
ing here and craning the neck to the left
and Stewards, one gets a glimpse of the
rock where very ancient myth relates
that Androneda was chained to be de-
voured by q sea monster, but was releas-
ed by Perseus.
Recurring again TO Holy writ. we find
that Jappa figures in that remarkable
event received with so much derison
irrevenretly called the whale
story. But Jonah rose up to fee unto
Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. !
and went down to Jappa and he found a
ship going to Tarshish, SO he paid the /
fare thereof and went down into it."
As this is the seaport of /
Jerusalem today, so it was in
the days of King Solomon. Hiram. /
king of Tyre. in a letter 10 Solomon /
says: And we will cut wood out of /
Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need. /
and we will bring it to thee i'll floats by /
sea To Joppa: and thou shalt carry it up
to Jerusalem. Now there is wagon /
road from Joppa to Jerusalem. and it is /
about the only one. SO far as I can learn. !
in this part of Palestine. We came over
it yesterday and have no hesitation in /
saying II Is the most execrable road in /
existence. There is but little doubt that /
the timbers for the temple came by this .
route, and | wondered what motive
power Solomon used to transport them
hther
At Joppa l saw them strapping
heavy -lmberS on the backs Of .
camels. likewise lumber for building pur-
poses. | have not seen a wagon in Pales-
tine strong enough to bear up a heavy
load of lumber, and the hills are so steep
and the curves so short that the concll